


sick day

by EasyPeasyPanic



Series: all of my founders era fics [23]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Dad-sensei is worried he can't handle a sick child, Drabble, Gen, Requested fic, Sick Character, Sickfic, Team Tobirama, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:08:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25716325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EasyPeasyPanic/pseuds/EasyPeasyPanic
Summary: Kagami refuses to admit he's sick.As always, all of Team Tobirama has to be involved.
Series: all of my founders era fics [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1718458
Comments: 4
Kudos: 107





	sick day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Stuppnow](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stuppnow/gifts).



* * *

Tobirama approaches his students halfway through their usual warm up. The sun is still rising, tucked into the bottom of the sky and still gleaming a soft pink. It was still chilly, far too early to be awake for most of the Village, but his team was on punishment because of their less than ideal behavior during the diplomatic mission to Sunagakure. He approached his more awake students first, gently pressing a hand against Saru's back as the boy threw himself down into the wet, dew-gleaming grass that would most likely stain his clothing. (And result in another disappointed note from Sarutobi Sasuke.)

His eyes are wide already, cheeks tinged a soft pink from their beginning kata. "Sensei," He says quietly, keeping his gaze from drifting off towards their other teammates as they take their break. "Sensei, you noticed it too, right?"

Tobirama says nothing in response, just letting his gaze lift to examine the rest of the team. Hiruzen's eyes immediately stop on Kagami, who's red-cheeked and heaving for air, worse off than the rest of his team with damp curls sticking to his forehead. His teammates are huddled around him, with Danzou's hand on his back and a waterskin being offered to the Uchiha's lips. 

"I hit Torifu so hard that he did a full flip when he tumbled backwards. A full _flip!_ " Hiruzen said glumly, working his lower lip into a raw shade with his upper teeth. A nervous habit that the Senju had yet to manage work out of him, and that the boy refused to abandon no matter how often he was left with bloody lips. "And Kagami didn't even laugh. He didn't even _smile_."

"I know." Tobirama replies quietly as he gets a painful twist of his stomach, just the nudge of panic. He'd noticed it early, little things, which he might have looked past if not for the obvious concern of the other genin. Tardiness was easy enough to disregard, Kagami was often showing up a few minutes late, usually with a distraction to ruin their practice, or because he was trying to make a teammate late, or with a smug little joke. 

He hadn't said a single word. Not a single greeting, not a single joke with Hiruzen, not a playful wink at Danzou to get him flustered. He hadn't made fun of Homura for his glasses being taped again, broken at their last session _by_ Kagami. Nothing, he'd appeared in the dark of the morning like a wraith, unruly curls and far too pale skin, but Tobirama had assumed it was exhaustion like the other children at these early morning punishment sessions. 

His movements in his kata had been sluggish, unorganized. Sloppy. Kagami wasn't someone that accepted those shortcomings, because of a mixture of the usual Uchiha pride and because he enjoyed goading his teammates with his skill. Tobirama had taken notice, but still chalked it up to fatigue, although he regrets his decision to dismiss his own worries as he watches the boy shake and sweat. 

"Something's wrong, Sensei." Saru tells him firmly, as if he didn't already realize. Kagami shoved away the waterskin and small snacks his teammates offered, and Danzou had his eyebrows furrowed in concern. His brown eyes looked up, afraid suddenly, and searching for Tobirama's gaze. He looked as terrified as the Senju felt at the idea of something being wrong with his student. 

"I'll take care of it," Tobirama soothed. He ruffles his student's hair, giving him a gentle nod. "Take a drink of water, and start leading a few laps while I speak to Kagami, alright?" 

He waits until Saru has chugged his canteen and made his way across the field before he approaches Kagami. The boy stretches his arms above his head, calling out orders. Slowly, Torifu and Koharu peel themselves away from the Uchiha, and the girl tugs Homura away too with a firm grip on his shirt. Danzou doesn't leave him, instead he lingers behind to help Kagami up, whispering something that sounds like encouragement. 

Tobirama shakes his head, putting a hand on the Shimura's shoulder. "Go do your laps." He instructs, just as the Uchiha manages to stumble to his feet. 

"We're goin'." Kagami mumbles, waving his hand dismissively although his movements are far too slow. His eyes are sunken, and his skin is changed from a blistering red down to a clammy pale. A thin sheen of sweat across his face, drenching him. Tobirama gives Danzou a glance, and the boy takes off running to catch up with his teammates. 

(Tobirama does _not_ miss how his team remains close by, or the fact that they're running in very _slow_ circles around a small grove of trees so they can watch their friend.)

Kagami gives him a withering (but tired) stare, "I'm supposed to be running." But it comes out slurred, as if he had filled his mouth with honeycomb to chew. Tobirama doesn't enjoy how his stomach flips uncomfortably, or how it suddenly feels colder despite the sun rising higher in the sky. 

"What's wrong, Kagami?" He asks, not sure if there's a boundary in this situation. Tobirama has only been their instructor for two years, which seems like a long stretch of time, but there are situations they haven't been in before. "Are you tired?" 

"M'fine." 

"You don't look fine." Tobirama replies steadily, even as the Uchiha shrinks back into himself. Is he supposed to check him for a fever? Or just send him home to his mother without acknowledging any of this as his issue? 

When he was young and caught ill, Hashirama would be the one to tend to him, instead of their often pregnant mother. It was better that way, to keep her safe and well, or to keep their baby brothers from getting ill so little. Hashirama would (and still does) press his lips against his temple and then his forehead to check for a fever. Was that too far in this situation? Was he allowed to do that, or was that crossing a line? Tobirama mulled over it as he watched the hesitation cross the Uchiha's face before it settled on determination. 

"I feel fine," He said, as if he weren't swaying on his feet. "I-- I want to run laps." Kagami takes a step, and then another, and he shivers. His whole body jolts forward, and Tobirama catches him by the forearms. Around them, the running has stopped and only the birds can be heard singing as everyone pauses. 

Saru's voice calls out, "Kagami? Are you alright?" And he sounds so uncharacteristically _soft_ and concerned, without any of his usual glee or playfulness. 

Tobirama doesn't hesitate after that. He pressed his lips softly against Kagami's temple. It was warm. He touched them again onto his forehead, flinching backwards. He was burning hot, a fever. 

"You're sick," He says, just as everyone decides to swarm them. Danzou takes his place as Kagami's personal support, holding him steady while Torifu and Homura pat his arms and shoulders in support. "Why did you come if you're sick?"

"I'm not sick," Kagami whines, before letting out a choked out noise. His hand covers his mouth, and he heaves forward. Danzou scrambles out of the way as the Uchiha dry heaves, holding him up by his back. 

"If you throw up on me, I'm not ever going to speak to you again." Danzou threatened, and without a second thought, Kagami turned his head away. 

"If you get _me_ sick, I'm not going to speak to you again." Homura adds on, staying a foot away, leaning to pat his shoulders supportively.

Kagami gave him a hateful stare, managing to raise his head up just to give him a glare. "Some big loss." He spits out, and Tobirama's lips twitch up into a smile. At least Kagami's feeling well enough to bully his teammates. 

"Enough, boys." 

Kagami shivers, "I'm not sick anyway." 

"Yes, you are." Saru rubs his hand across Kagami's face. "You're about to throw up all over the ground. And you're hot as one of your stupid katon." 

"You're stupid." 

"See?" Hiruzen complains, shaking his head. "You can't even think of anything good to say to insult me back. You must be dying." 

Tobirama inhaled sharply at the thought. " _Sarutobi_ ." He scolds, trying to keep his own concern and panic from spilling out at the thought. It was just a fever, wasn't it? Tobirama sucks in another breath, fighting down the urge to empty the contents of his stomach in front of his students out of worry. It takes a moment before he feels stable enough to exhale and straighten himself up. Fevers were easy enough, right? Hashirama had only been seven or eight the first time that he had to take care of Tobirama, so it couldn't be _that_ difficult. Or deadly. Sure, he knew some children that had died of a fever, but they were younger than Kagami, right? Twelve was a healthy age. Most children that lived to twelve usually survived, or that had been the case before. 

"I'll take you home. You're sick, and I don't want you training in your condition." 

"I'm fine." Kagami grit out, although his cheeks flushed as he doubled over to gag again. 

"Your mother can decide that." Tobirama replies, shaking his head. "But I want you at home." 

"His mom is on a mission. He told us the other day, Sensei." Koharu reminds him with a frown and a crease between her eyebrows. She flinched back at the next dry heave, staying a distance away like she was afraid being anywhere near him would infect her. Danzou gave her an icy look, and pressed Kagami close to him so their cheeks were touching. 

Tobirama's mind reels. He feels like the whole world has fallen apart in front of him. His student is _sick_ , and there's nobody to care for him if he sends him home. Sure, the Uchiha are there and are probably more than willing to look after him, but did Tobirama _trust_ the Uchiha to take proper care of his student the way he deserves? Not really. 

Not at all. 

"Alright," Tobirama decides, easily picking the boy up by his knees and shoulders. Kagami flails, his cheeks turning a soft red that he'll probably claim as a fever rather than humiliation later. "You'll stay with me until you're better." 

"I'm _fine_ ," Kagami whines, dragging it out like a little child. "Hokage-sama said you aren't allowed to steal kids anymore. Let me go." But he slumps down weakly in his arms, and Tobirama can feel the heat radiating off him through his clothes.

He looks at the rest of the students. 

"I'm going to assume you're all coming?" 

"We have to stick together," Danzou says with a smile. 

Saru's grinning. "Teamwork and all that other stuff you said we had to learn." 

**____ **

"I don't think this is going to help Kagami feel better," Tobirama said hesitantly, still clutching onto the small bottle of medicine he'd had to wrestle into Kagami's mouth a few moments ago. He still had the boy's teeth marks in his wrist as proof of his sacrificial struggle, but Hashirama had been _insistent_ that the medicine would lower his fever. 

"No, it will." Torifu said from his spot cuddled up in the bed with Kagami and Danzou on one side. Hiruzen had squished between the two boys, his limbs sprawled out on top of them like an octopus. Koharu and Homura had crawled into the bed for support, but hadn't joined the mess of limbs, content to stay away from him. 

Saru pats Kagami's face. Dark eyes flutter open. 

"What?"

"Do you want us to leave, or do you feel better because we're all here." 

"Better," Kagami mumbled, shoving his face into Danzou's neck. "Now shut up." 

"See, he feels better. We have to stay." Saru smiles, snuggling closer to his team. "It's science, Sensei."

"Or it was the medicine..?" Tobirama suggests softly. But it was too late because everyone had already settled into their place in his bed, and Tobirama wasn't trying to get bitten again trying to remove any of these kids. He made a mental note to make sure to pay his brother another visit for more medicine in case the close quarters infected the other genin. 

Danzou's eyes opened tiredly. "Are you going to join us, Sensei?" He asked, and Tobirama raised his eyebrow at him. He went to decline, because it seemed childish and he had plenty of things to do that needed done. Besides, what if he got sick himself, who would take care of Kagami? 

"Yeah," Koharu encouraged, throwing up the blankets as they all shifted over to make room. "Kagami, Kagami, wake up again, you'll feel better if Sensei is with us, right?"

All they hear is a mumbled, "Mhmm." 

"Sorry, you have to. It's the rules. How else is Kagami going to get better?" Torifu shrugs as much as he can with three other kids smashed against him. "Come on, Sensei. Plenty of space." 

"Fine." Tobirama muttered, crawling onto the bed. He settled next to Homura, a good distance away from the others, who unfortunately decided to shift back until he had a whole mess of small arms and legs intertwined on him. "Just for a few minutes. And if I get sick, I won't forgive any of you." 

"Sensei," Kagami mumbles groggily from beside his head. "Shut up." 

* * *


End file.
